ORGAN TRANSPLANT

What is organ transplantation?
Organ transplantation is the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it into another person (the recipient). Organ donors may be living, brain dead, or dead via circulatory death.
Transplantation is necessary if the recipient's organ has failed or has been damaged by disease or injury.
Despite all the effort in the world for organ donations, cadaver transplant did not reach sufficient levels, on the other hand, transplantation from a live donor has become much easier. Removing kidney with laparoscopic method (minimally invasive method) has made the post-operation recovery much more comfortable for the live donors and since the operation of removing the organ is performed through the small holes opened in the patient’s abdomen, it leaves minimal scars.

What are the most common organ transplants?
Worldwide, the kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organs, followed by the liver and then the heart. Corneas and musculoskeletal grafts are the most commonly transplanted tissues; these outnumber organ transplants by more than tenfold. 

Renal Transplant (Kidney Transplant)
A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure to place a healthy kidney from a living or deceased donor into a person whose kidneys no longer function properly.
Kidney transplant requirements
In order to be eligible to receive a kidney transplant you must have chronic irreversible kidney disease that has not responded to other medical or surgical treatments. You are either on dialysis or may require dialysis in the near future. You must qualify for and be able to tolerate major surgery.
There are some contraindications that can preclude a patient from being considered for transplant. Absolute contraindications include:

  • Active malignancy (cancer)
  • Active abuse of drugs, alcohol, or other substances
  • Severe cardiac and / or peripheral vascular disease that cannot be corrected, such as severe cardiomyopathy with an ejection fraction of less than 25 percent
  • Severe pulmonary hypertension that cannot be controlled or treated
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) higher than 40

 

Kidney transplant process
If your doctor thinks you’re a good candidate for a transplant and you’re interested in the procedure, you’ll need to be evaluated at a transplant center.
Medical professionals at the transplant center will give you a complete physical exam, review your health records, and order a series of tests and X-rays to learn about your overall health. Everything that can affect how well you can handle treatment will be checked. The evaluation process for a transplant is very thorough. Your healthcare team will need to know a lot about you to help them—and you—decide if a transplant is right for you. One thing you can do to speed the process is to get all the testing done as quickly as possible and stay in close contact with the transplant team.
Once you are evaluated and approved for kidney transplant, you will need a donor whose kidney will be placed into your body. Kidney transplantation can be performed with both living donors and deceased donors.
Deceased donors
Deceased donors are also called cadaver donors. These are people who have died, usually as the result of an accident rather than a disease. Either the donor or their family has chosen to donate their organs and tissues.
Your body is more likely to reject a kidney from an unrelated donor. However, a cadaver organ is a good alternative if you don’t have a family member or friend who’s willing or able to donate a kidney.
Living donors
Because the body can function perfectly well with just one healthy kidney, a family member with two healthy kidneys may choose to donate one of them to you.
If your family member’s blood and tissues match your blood and tissues, you can schedule a planned donation.
Receiving a kidney from a family member is a good option. It reduces the risk that your body will reject the kidney, and it enables you to bypass the multiyear waiting list for a deceased donor.
Live kidney transplant donor requirements are;

  • Be a person over age 18.
  • Be willing to commit to the living kidney donor evaluation process and surgery.
  • Be a family member, friend or acquaintance.
  • Be in good health.
  • Be of a compatible blood type.
  • Have normal kidney function.

Once you've been matched with a living kidney donor, the kidney transplant procedure will be scheduled in advance. The kidney donation surgery (donor nephrectomy) and your transplant will occur on the same day.

 

Liver Transplant
A liver transplant is a surgical operation that replaces a patient's diseased liver with a whole or partial healthy liver from another person. 
Liver transplant requirements
To meet liver transplant criteria, you must have a liver that is not functioning properly and is beyond the stage that it can be repaired. When your liver is damaged, it grows new tissue to heal itself. When the damage is severe and results in scarring (fibrosis) of the liver, it’s called cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can lead to:

  • liver failure
  • portal hypertension, where the scarring inhibits blood flow causing pressure to increase in the vein that brings blood to the liver (portal vein)
  • hepatocellular carcinoma, or primary liver cancer

Liver transplant process
Before you’re considered a viable candidate for liver transplant, you will need a pre-transplant evaluation, which may include tests such as:

  • assessment by a hepatologist (liver specialist)
  • assessment by a transplant surgeon
  • lab tests, such as blood work, X-rays, and imaging tests like CT or MRI scans
  • endoscopy to examine your digestive tract
  • colonoscopy to examine your large intestine
  • heart and stress tests, such as an electrocardiogram (EKG)

Once you are evaluated and approved for liver transplant, you will need a donor whose partial liver will be placed into your body. Liver transplantation can be performed with both living donors and deceased donors.
Deceased donors
Deceased donors are also called cadaver donors. These are people who have died, usually as the result of an accident rather than a disease. Either the donor or their family has chosen to donate their organs and tissues.
Split liver transplantation is when a single deceased donor liver is divided into right and left portions that are implanted into two recipients simultaneously. Typically, an adult patient receives about 60 percent of the liver (the right lobe), while a pediatric patient receives the other about 40 percent of the liver (the left lobe).
Your body is more likely to reject a liver from an unrelated donor. However, a cadaver organ is a good alternative if you don’t have a family member or friend who’s willing or able to donate part of their liver.
Living donors
Because the body can regenerate liver tissue,  a family member may choose to donate part of their liver to you.
If your family member’s blood and tissues match your blood and tissues, you can schedule a planned donation.
Receiving a piece of liver from a family member is a good option. It reduces the risk that your body will reject the liver, and it enables you to bypass the multiyear waiting list for a deceased donor.
Live liver transplant donor requirements are;

  • Be a willing adult between age 18 and 60
  • Be willing to commit to the pre-donation evaluation process, surgery, and burden of recovery
  • Be a family member, friend, colleague, or close acquaintance
  • Be in good health and psychological condition
  • Be of compatible blood type
  • Have normal liver and kidney function
  • May not be overweight
  • Be willing to abstain from alcohol until fully recovered

Every potential liver donor will need to go through a number of exams. Completing the entire donor evaluation may take several weeks, so you should be aware that this process can be time-consuming. The evaluations for potential liver donors include:

  • Blood tests
  • Chest x-ray
  • CT scan
  • Electrocardiogram (EKG)
  • Physical exam
  • Tissue matching

 

Bone Marrow Transplant and Stem Cell Transplant
Bone marrow is the spongy, fatty tissue inside the bones. It creates the following parts of the blood:

  • red blood cells, which carry oxygen and nutrients throughout the body
  • white blood cells, which fight infection
  • platelets, which are responsible for the formation of clots

A bone marrow transplant is a medical procedure performed to replace bone marrow that has been damaged or destroyed by disease, infection, or chemotherapy. This procedure involves transplanting blood stem cells, which travel to the bone marrow where they produce new blood cells and promote growth of new marrow.
A bone marrow transplant replaces your damaged stem cells with healthy cells. This helps your body make enough white blood cells, platelets, or red blood cells to avoid infections, bleeding disorders, or anemia.
In the past, a stem cell transplant was more commonly called a bone marrow transplant because the stem cells were collected from the bone marrow. Today, stem cells are usually collected from the blood, instead of the bone marrow. For this reason, they are now often called stem cell transplants.
Bone marrow transplant requirements
People who need a bone marrow transplant may have any of several serious conditions, including:

  • Acute lymphocytic leukemia
  • Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
  • Adrenoleukodystrophy
  • Amyloidosis
  • Aplastic anemia
  • Bone marrow failure syndromes
  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
  • Hemoglobinopathies
  • Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • Immune deficiencies
  • Inborn errors of metabolism
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • Plasma cell disorders
  • POEMS syndrome
  • Sickle cell anemia

Bone marrow transplant process
There are two main types of bone marrow transplant.
Autologous transplant
This is also called an AUTO transplant or high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue.
In an AUTO transplant, you get your own stem cells after doctors treat the cancer. First, your health care team collects stem cells from your blood and freezes them. Next, you have powerful chemotherapy, and rarely, radiation therapy. Then, your health care team thaws your frozen stem cells. They put them back in your blood through a tube placed in a vein (IV).
It takes about 24 hours for your stem cells to reach the bone marrow. Then they start to grow, multiply, and help the marrow make healthy blood cells again.
Allogeneic transplantation
This is also called an ALLO transplant. In an ALLO transplant, you get another person’s stem cells. It is important to find someone whose bone marrow matches yours. This is because you have certain proteins on your white blood cells called human leukocyte antigens (HLA). The best donor has HLA proteins as much like yours as possible.
Matching proteins make a serious condition called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) less likely. In GVHD, healthy cells from the transplant attack your cells. A brother or sister may be the best match. But another family member or volunteer may also work.
Once you find a donor, you receive chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy. Next, you get the other person’s stem cells through a tube placed in a vein (IV). The cells in an ALLO transplant are not typically frozen. This way, your doctor can give you the cells as soon as possible after chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
There are 2 types of ALLO transplants. The best type for each person depends on his or her age, health, and the type of disease being treated.
Ablative, which uses high-dose chemotherapy
Reduced intensity, which uses milder doses of chemotherapy

Why choose Turkey for organ transplant?
Organ transplantation is a multidisciplinary medical procedure that requires several medical field experts to work together, highly developed facilities  during the complex pre-operation tests, major surgery, and time of recovery when the patient needs delicate post-operation care.

Turkish world-wide famous organ transplant surgeons are best at their fields with high success rates.  Organ transplant centers in Turkey provide service at or higher than international standards, with their most recent technology equipment and high hygiene standards.